Phils ex-top picks Savery and Hewitt still hopeful

Joe Savery is going to Clearwater after he completes his fourth minor-league season next week.

Anthony Hewitt, on the other hand, is going to stare at clear water during a cruise through some Caribbean islands.

Both of the Phillies' former No. 1 picks hope those destinations help serve as career-altering forks in the road.

Savery, the 19th overall selection in the 2007 draft, is headed to the Florida Instructional League to be evaluated as a hitting prospect, a potential career change that is already off to an encouraging start at triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Hewitt, the 24th overall selection in 2008, has been excused from the FIL this fall because the Phillies feel he's more in need of some mental relaxation after a long and difficult season with single-A Lakewood.

In his fourth professional season as a pitcher, Savery went 1-11 with a 4.84 ERA in 27 games, and the organization decided last month to see if the lefthanded pitcher could make it to the big leagues as a lefthanded hitter. He's ready for the challenge.

"Obviously there was a reason I wasn't drafted as a hitter," Savery said. "I had some holes, and I know it would be very hard . . . and it will take a lot of work. I think I'm strong enough, and I enjoy it enough that I think I could do it."

Savery had a career .356 batting average at Rice University, and he has done nothing to disparage his reputation as a hitter with Lehigh Valley this season. Going into Friday night's game against Pawtucket, Savery was hitting .342 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs in 38 at-bats. In three games as the designated hitter last month, he went 6 for 13 with two RBIs.

Chuck LaMar, the Phillies' assistant general manager in charge of player development, said Savery will focus entirely on hitting when he goes to the FIL later this month.

"He's done remarkably well for someone who hasn't swung a bat in a long time," LaMar said. "His approach is solid, and he's always had a sweet type swing and good pitch recognition."

Savery's stint in the FIL will likely determine if he'll open next season as a hitter rather than a pitcher, which seems to be the more likely scenario given his recent success as a hitter and his lack of it on the mound. If he does become a hitter, he'll need a position other than DH.

"He played first base in college, but I think that was more from the standpoint that they didn't want him to throw a lot," LaMar said. "We haven't explored a position as of yet. We want to first make the determination if he's a pitcher or a hitter."

Given that he'll turn 25 in November, Savery knows the challenge of changing course at this stage of his professional career is a daunting one.

"Yeah, it is," he said. "I have thought about any and every scenario possible. I just know one thing: I want to keep playing this game. My whole thing is if one or both sides feel it's not going to happen on the mound, then I want to give it a shot as a hitter."

Hewitt, after three professional seasons, is still trying to prove that he can hit, which is something he did not do during his first year at Lakewood. Going into Friday, the 21-year-old outfielder was batting .201 with 154 strikeouts in 427 at-bats.

LaMar said Hewitt would return to Lakewood again in 2011.

"You have to play your way out of a league," he said. "You can't keep promoting a young man on prospect status. Prospect status got him to Lakewood."

Like so many minor-league hitters who never make it to the big leagues, Hewitt's problem is trying to hit the pitches that bend and break.

"I'm not laying off the breaking balls, and I'm not able to recognize pitches," he said. "I know I can hit the fastball, but . . . you have to be able to lay off breaking balls and be able to react to the ones that are left up in the air hanging. It's a learning curve that I didn't experience much in high school."

Mark Parent, the manager at Lakewood, said Hewitt's work ethic and determination were both solid. He also said the 21-year-old outfielder has the kind of tools that can make scouts drool.

"He's one of those guys who looks tremendous in a uniform," Parent said. "He has all the physical attributes you want. His biggest thing is he's learning how to be a baseball player. Baseball players aren't always the best looking athletes on the field."

The Phillies thought Hewitt was making strides when he batted .258 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in April, but the following four months he batted .185.

"There have been times where I have seen him pretty low," Parent said. "But he is surrounded by guys who care about him. They don't say, 'Spit on him, he's a first-rounder. He has a million bucks.' Our guys are good teammates, especially in dealing with Anthony Hewitt."

Hewitt said he was ready to get away from baseball for a little while.

"I need a break," he said. "I need to re-start my mind. It's driving me crazy right now, so I need to start from ground zero with the mental stuff. I'm going to go to the Caribbean islands and get some fresh air and see some clear water."